Wednesday, August 31, 2005

The new country song mentions Edna St. Vincent Millay, a lyrical poet and playwright and the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. She was also known for her unconventional and Bohemian lifestyle and her many love affairs with both men and women.

Her best known poem might be "First Fig" (1920):

My candle burns at both ends; It will not last the night; But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends-- It gives a lovely light!

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

He's talking about the double-tracked vocals, especially the part where the double-tracking turns into single-track near the end of the song. Also how the two voices weave in and out of the song (the higher melody breaks away from the lower lead melody during the break and for the bridge). Great stuff.

The Tonics - "Distance." You'd be hard pressed to guess what decade this song comes from if not for the sometimes Morrissey-like vocals. The Tonics play a pleasant brand of pop unencumbered by any indie posturing or MySpace marketing appeal. A young group expressing the emotions of their generation in a forthright and sometimes unhinging way, this group has a bright future if the pressures of post-college life don't take them down first. Their song "Sad" is another favorite of mine. You can purchase their EP here, but if you don't feel like dropping the dough they've got it available for download free of charge. The Tonics' publicist even has a blog about the band.

That's right, there's even press for me, Neon Phosphor. We thank the author of No Frontin' for the publicity.

In other news today, Steven remixed "Apart" from scratch, and replaced the bassoon organ with a celesta.

"Are you employing the wall-of-sound technique to your recordings?"----No, I wouldn't exactly call it employment. It's more like an unpaid internship.

Sunday, August 28, 2005

JM: i am aware of that. you were a pretty good song, but i always thought Madman was the best

NP: HOW DID YOU GET YOUR GIG DRAWING FOR THE TONICS (THEN CALLED SCULPTED STATIC)?

JM: well first Sculpted Static is an infititly better name, but since i knew i the members of the group on a personal level, and i was total captured by there music, i knew that i ultimatly had to give my talents to them. kinda like how Roger Dean provides the true visiuals to the band "Yes" albums and how gerald Scarffe made the uniqe look for Pink Floyds the wall. i wanted that kinda noteriety and connection with Sculpted Static

NP: WHAT HAS JIMI THE ARTIST BEEN DOING SINCE THEN?

JM: Well i wish i could say ive been drawing like mad, but for the most part, ive been observing. Observing the world around me, looking for inpiration and adventure to talk about in hopefully future autobiography. Ive also been working day care. Some would say what the hell is a lunatic like me (laughs) is doing working with children, well the answer is simple.. Children are alot more easy to deal with than adults.

NP: ANY PLANS TO BRING BACK THETRYINGMADCAP XANGA?

JM: ah, good ol Xanga. I think i painted myself in corner with that. At first i wanted leave it in fear of running out of things to write about, but then i just end up missing it, but when i return i cant think of one good thing to say.

im currently working on some stuff for the site soo keep an eye out for future post.

Perhaps Lucy's most famous gimmick in her long existence as a character is as the one who pulls the football away from Charlie Brown right as he is about to kick it. The first occasion on which she did this was November 16, 1952, taking over for Violet, who had previously subjected Charlie Brown to this trick on November 14, 1951. This annual scenario has become one of the most famous and popular in the Peanuts universe, as well as highly parodied, as shown in an episode of Family Guy, when she gets punched for pulling her football gimmick.

Friday, August 26, 2005

Lots of research & development (i.e. lyric & extra chord writing) going into the "Surf Rock" song, which is not a good sign because most good songs don't need this much work. Let's put this in the "unlikely to be released for a while" pile.

In other news, Steven is going to increase the volume levels of all the songs currently available.

Dudes, like I said, I will only respond kindly to people who spam me, if 1) they obviously did not just target our blog/e-mail randomly, 2) they make some effort to personalize their spam, and 3) going along with point 1, they are advertising some relevant product, service or art project. Come on, Neon Phosphor doesn't need vitamin supplements and control ceiling fans.

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

----Because we want you to read "Bartleby," a great short story by Herman Melville. Our song titles will now be used to advertise our personal and political beliefs. This is why our next few songs are going to be called "We're Not As Good As The Velvet Underground," "The American Civil Liberties Union Boogie," "Marx For The Millions," and "http://www.popgothetonics.com/". "Distance" will now be called "While You're Rich And Young, Go Read The Amazing First Part Of Anna Karenina."

"What? You can't be serious. Anyway, what's this I hear about a waltz? Does it even have a name?"----What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

"Did you just rip off Shakespeare?"----Just as well. Our waltz is all about ripping things off. For instance, its time signature is totally ripped off "The Blue Danube."

"Can we expect the album to be released anytime soon?"----No, but if you're looking for something to expect, you can expect the sun to rise tomorrow morning.

Radiohead have been updating their blog everyday. The latest update says that they've just finished a week-long recording session. Thom's complaining about how tired he is: "six days straight from 11 till late is enough for an old man like me." Sounds like what Steven's been pulling lately. We'll have some new music very soon.

Covering Radiohead is an old Tonics tradition. We've played "Karma Police" three times in concert, "Creep" and "Fake Plastic Trees" once, and even "Morning Bell" at our last show at Stebbins Hall. Steven taught the Radiohead course at UC Berkeley for three semesters.

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Steven and Arta started recording a new instrumental called "Waltz." Steven took a short break to do a job interview, but he's otherwise taking full advantage of unemployment to work on The Tonics nonstop. "Waltz" is sounding a lot like the 1812 Overture. "Bartleby" is going onto the album. Are they turning into an instrumental/electronica band? Hope not.

Sunday, August 21, 2005

Arta: "If we're going to have a string section, we're going to have it on every song."

Do you want to be a rock star? The Tonics are looking to fill String Musician positions to help fill up the sonic spectrum on their upcoming album. We want people who:

can play the violin, viola, cello, or a related instrument

can read sheet music

live in California

This position is unpaid and is worse than an internship: we will cover none of your expenses, and this is not a resume building position, unless you want to be a professional musician. However, you get to work on an exciting project to produce the album of our generation.

Saturday, August 20, 2005

The Pretty Things - "Talkin' About The Good Times"The "Pretties" recorded S. F. Sorrow, the first rock opera of all time, in spring 1967 at Abbey Road Studios, just down the hall from The Beatles and Pink Floyd, who were working, respectively, on Sgt. Pepper and The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. "Talkin' About The Good Times" was not actually on the album, but it is a bonus track on the S. F. Sorrow reissue. The Pretty Things did not consistently put together good melodies, and their musicianship is a bit suspect. Nevertheless, the ambitious psychedelic rockers regularly tried harmonies and unusual instrumentation. Also check out "Balloon Burning" from the same CD.

The Beach Boys - "Friends"After the SMiLE failure, The Beach Boys released two underproduced albums before making a serious comeback with Friends. By then, however, the band was totally off the radar and musically irrelevant, having been pushed aside by acts like Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles. Production-wise, Friends is almost in the same league as Pet Sounds. The title track is a flashback to the pre-Pet Sounds Beach Boys: lots of harmonies, catchy melody, simple lyrics. The song has apparently been used by a music school to demonstrate songwriting in waltz time.

The Kinks - "Do You Remember Walter?"This is off The Village Green Preservation Society, which is making a comeback among the hipper crowd. "Do You Remember Walter" has a great melody, a driving rhythm, and an uncomplicated arrangement. The best part is the weird vocal fade-in to the second verse, after the first chorus... a candidate for one of the greatest moments in rock and roll.

Pink Floyd - "See Emily Play"If you are reading this, you probably need no introduction to Syd Barrett, the original frontman for the legendary rock band. This pop song from 1967 contains some of the best delayed piano you'll hear anywhere. Also check out "Candy And A Currant Bun," a rare b-side on the "Arnold Layne" single. That one has great lyrics like: "Ooh, don't talk to me. Please, just fuck with me. Please, you know I'm feeling frail."

The Zombies - "A Rose For Emily"Off Odessey & Oracle, "A Rose For Emily" is a piano-based song years ahead of its time, with a very weird chord progression. The Zombies were probably the most talented all-around British pop group after The Beatles. They are known mostly for "Time Of The Season," the one that goes "What's your name? Who's your daddy? Is he as rich as me?" They should really be known for Odessey, easily one of the greatest albums of all time, right up there with Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, and Pet Sounds. [This post formerly stated that The Zombies were American, when they were actually British. We regret the error.]

The Velvet Underground - "Candy Says""Candy Says" is from The Velvet's self-titled album, has a very depressing chord progression to match lyrics like: "Candy says I've come to hate my body and all that it requires in this world." Wouldn't it be a great song for The Tonics to cover, with Mark on lead vocals?

The Association - "Like Always"They're well-known for the all-time classics "Never My Love," "Along Comes Mary," "Cherish," and "Windy." But "Like Always" contains an amazing, mind-boggling chorus with harmonies going every which way. Get it off their greatest hits album.

The Who - "A Quick One, While He's Away"A Tonics favorite, this classic song about fornication is available in way too many versions. The best one is the 9 min 11 sec studio recording off the A Quick One album (it's the one with a second, faster verse for Ivor the engine driver). The last movement is used in the film Rushmore, another Tonics favorite.

Friday, August 19, 2005

----Lucy was a classmate of Julian Lennon and the subject of Julian's painting, "Lucy in the sky with diamonds," which inspired his father John to write the song of the same name.

Four year old Lucy Richardson was about a year older than Julian when he enrolled at the private Heath House School in Weybridge, Surrey. John Lennon and the other Beatles visited her family's antique and jewellery shop now and then, so the family knew Julian. When the little boy became homesick or unsettled at school, Lucy would be called out of class to sit with him while he drew pictures.

In 2005, her sister Mary Foster said, "One day John Lennon came into the shop and said, 'Hello, Lucy in the sky with diamonds.' We thought it was just John being John." When the song appeared on Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the Richardsons noticed the name but weren't sure of any connection until 1975, when Lennon told an interviewer the story of his son's picture.

Arta and Steven wrote an instrumental piece for Alan's new film. The chords are Em Am Em Am C G6 Cmaj7 G6 D. The riff is ripped off The Clash's "Rebel Waltz." Recording was postponed due to backpack issues and a missing high E string.

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Radiohead, one of the great bands of our time but representing the generation before us, have started a blog called Dead Air Space. Being the good citizen of the blogosphere that I am, I have added it to my blogroll. And I expect reciprocation. So far, Thom Yorke has managed to update the blog everyday since it was created two days ago. Let's see how long he can keep it up. His latest post is about going into the studio tomorrow, which is not unlike the stuff Neon Phosphor typically posts.

Speaking of which, we should probably do some recording ourselves. Mark will try to set up a recording situation for himself at Davis, so that he can record the distorted guitar parts to "The Spanish Song" and "The Clapping Song" because he misses playing distorted guitar. And maybe some lead vocals, while he's at it.

NP: WE KNOW YOU'RE PARTICULARLY CONCERNED ABOUT GETTING THE BEST AUDIO QUALITY OUT OF A WIDE RANGE OF SPEAKERS. LET'S TALK, FOR INSTANCE, ABOUT MIXING IN MONO.

SC: our music is immune to the kissing disease. listen to our album once, and you'll want to hang yourself. it's definitely not makeout music.

NP: LISTEN, SMARTASS, NOBODY GIVES NEON PHOSPHOR A HARD TIME. WHY ARE YOU CONSIDERING MIXING THE ALBUM IN MONO INSTEAD OF STEREO?

SC: ask yourself this, when have you ever had a perfectly functional set of speakers? we know that many of our listeners are driving around in old cars with speakers that don't necessarily work on both sides. one of the speakers in my car doesn't work. the left speaker on arta's car has issues with the bass end. even on my stereo at home, it's hard to get the speaker volumes balanced, because of wiring issues on the back. the most annoying thing is listening to stereo recordings where all the harmonies or cool instruments are on the stereo channel that you can't hear. finally, even when you have good speakers, they're probably not in a sonically perfect place in relation to you. when you mix in mono, you know exactly how the mix is going to sound, anywhere, on any sound system. phil spector and brian wilson always mixed in mono.

NP: ANY CHANCE YOU'LL BE COVERING MONO'S "LIFE IN MONO," THE ONE-HIT WONDER FROM THE 90'S?

SC: you never want to cover a hit song because it'll always turn out worse than the original

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

----Saint Lucy of Syracuse is the patron saint of the blind and those with eye-trouble, such as Thom Yorke, Stevie Wonder and our very own Steven.

Lucy means "light", with the same Latin root, lux, as "lucid," which means "clear, radiant, understandable." "In 'Lucy' is said, the way of light" Jacobus de Voragine stated at the beginning of his vita of the Blessed Virgin Lucy, in Legenda Aurea, the most widely-read version of the Lucy legend in the Middle Ages. St Lucy's history is shrouded in darkness: all that is really known for certain is that she was a martyr in Syracuse in Diocletian's persecutions of 303 A.D.. Her veneration spread to Rome, so that by the sixth century the whole Church recognized her courage in defense of the faith.

Although The Tonics didn't do anything today, last night we got a preview of the type of destruction that the new album will cause unto the world. Thunder and lightning erupted directly over South Pasadena. We know that because the thunder and lightning were almost simultaneous.

In other news, "The Clapping Song" vocals will be re-recorded instead of hacked together, according to Arta.

Sunday, August 14, 2005

Steven: "the clapping song vocal track will be a combination of several vocal takes from today and eight months ago. because we used different mics, it's really hard to get the EQ consistent. i think this is what the chorus will sound like:

mark solo from winter take: i just can't seem to get things done, maybe i'm just spunmark from winter + 3 stevens: but who the hell knows with me?mark from today + 2 stevens trying to cover up strangely EQ'd mark: i just seem to get things wrong, i come off too strong4 stevens: it's all my mind, all the time

Today, Mark recorded "Mean Song" and new lead vocals for "The Clapping Song." The Tonics pioneered a new recording technique involving Mark going under a piano cover with the condenser mic to minimize reverb.

Steven recorded the synths, acoustic guitar and vocals for "The Spanish Song." To appease Arta, it now has an E to Am switch instead of E to F. Ian retroactively recorded the drums. Steven says: "I don't like my vocals in the first verse. I fear my voice has changed. On the bright side, I can now hit A#4 with my head voice, which finally lets me sing 'Long Tall Sally', 'I'm Down' and 'Got To Get You Into My Life.' Theoretically, I can also sing 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', but I haven't tried. My lowest note, by the way, is F#2, although the lowest note I have recorded is a G2, which I hit on 'Haste'. So, my range is two octaves and a couple extra notes."

Sign up with one of the largest music communities, iSOUND.COMSign up an artist account.Sell your music and keep 100% of the net profits!Instantly create your own professional band/artist web site.Promote your music to 1,000,000 music fans each month!Upload your MP3's.and much, much more...

I don't know why some web sites don't spend more time writing their e-mail offers, although this e-mail scores high in the cut-to-the-point department. But can you actually see anyone behind this generic advertising language, except maybe a loudmouth ex-car salesman? Who, but the most desperate of unsigned bands, want to deal with you? There's no name on there, and Neon Phosphor doesn't respond to e-mails without a name and some mention of the Tonics.

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Named during an AIM conversation, "Salvo Social" was never one of the band's favorite songs, but it enjoyed quite a busy existence from the beginning. It first appeared in the spring of 2003, when Arta recorded ProgZ and wrote lyrics for the first two verses (without knowing the melody). Steven came up with the melody and added an extra verse.

Arta and Steven came home from school and started recording "Salvo Social" for a new album. Mark did not play on the recording because he was at school. Ian was replaced by a drum machine, which seemed to suit the song just fine. Nevertheless, "Salvo Social" was the most sophisticated recording by Sculpted Static at the time. It featured a strong guitar hook, audio samples, and modulation to a different key.Listen to "Salvo Social" somewhere on this pageLyrics to "Salvo Social"

During the third verse, Steven accuses ABC News of "putting your head inside the noose of ignorance," but, of course, he is not talking about the great Peter Jennings, the longtime ABC newsanchor (and Canadian) who died a few days ago. The man who took his work seriously but never took himself too seriously, the man who hated Fox News, never interviewed George W. Bush, and was frequently accused of having a liberal bias.

Anyway, "Salvo Social" was considered strong enough to lead off the Distance EP and the No Future concert. Unfortunately, the live performance was a little too sloppy, due to the band's not having practiced with Mark until that day, and Ian having only heard the song a few days before.

The lack of response to "Salvo Social" from EP listeners meant that the rockin' song was pushed to the second half of the new album, now called Sunny Ash.

It has been rumored that Alan Lawrence will be using "Salvo Social" in one of his short films.

Monday, August 08, 2005

According to its proponents, Dada was not art — it was anti-art. For everything that art stood for, Dada was to represent the opposite. Where art was concerned with aesthetics, Dada ignored aesthetics. If art was to have at least an implicit or latent message, Dada strove to have no meaning — interpretation of Dada is dependent entirely on the viewer. If art is to appeal to sensibilities, Dada is to offend. It is perhaps then ironic that Dada became an influential movement in modern art. Dada became a commentary on art and the world, thus became art itself.

Those who participated in Dada were attracted to a nihilistic point of view (nothing achieved by mankind was worthwhile, not even art), and created art in which chance and randomness formed the basis of creation.

Dada was a way to express the confusion felt by many people as their world turned upside down by World War I. There was not an attempt to find meaning in disorder, but rather to accept disorder as the nature of the world, using it as a means to express their distaste for the aesthetics of the previous order and carnage they believed it reaped. Through this rejection of traditional culture and aesthetics they hoped to destroy traditional culture and aesthetics.

SC: where i acted out morrissey's suedehead video by tracking down my favorite historical figure in a small town and visiting her house and gravesite. for me it was emily dickinson. morrissey visited james dean. it felt strange to be in the same room where nearly 1800 of the most remarkable poems in the english language were written. then it was quite an emotional experience at the cemetary to see the patch of grass directly above emily's remains

NP: I'VE BEEN ASKED A LOT, WHO IS LUCY? PERHAPS YOU CAN ANSWER THAT FOR ME.

SC: i'm so exhausted from my trip home that i'm going to sleep. later, neon.

Thursday, August 04, 2005

The Tonics enjoy receiving their news from a plethora of international news sources, such as The Guardian and the BBC. The latter, while providing some of the best mainstream news coverage of world events and some decent features, also provides moments of hilarity which make a Tonic smile as only some vodka and lime could:

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

If you haven't been under a rock for the past 6 months, you know that Iran's been in the news lately. Uranium. Bombs. yawn. And some people are rather upset, etc. etc.

Neon Phosphor hates politics, so we'll steer clear, but one thing must end: the use of Flock of Seagulls' 1982 hit "I ran (so far away)" as inspiration for gag-inducingly "clever" blog and article headlines. A search for the phrase "Iran so far away" on google yielded 4,690 hits.

Shut the fuck up, folks. No one's laughing. And a great song is being trivialized. Neon Phosphor would like to direct your attention to the sharp guitar work in the pop classic - the verse riff and solo are noticeably tight and melodic for a band that is now seen as a standard bearer of the synthesizer era.

Also noticeable is the song's fascinating astronomical/metereological diction:"Aurora borealis comes in view. Aurora comes in view."

G: I responded to Steven's posting on Craigslist as a last minute filler.

NP: WHAT'S IT LIKE TO PLAY IN THE TONICS?

G: Anytime, anywhere, anyplace sums it up. Good people!

NP: DESCRIBE YOUR MUSICAL CAREER, INCLUDING CURRENT PROJECTS.

G: I experienced a rebirth after not having played for 10 years. I feel grateful, blessed, inspired and passionate to be musical; it's a gift I enjoy sharing and collaborating with others. Current projects: www.sundaygroove.com (pop band), THREAD (metal band), S&G Inc. (acoustic/rock ballad w/ female vocalist. I play acoustic guitar)

Monday, August 01, 2005

NP: HOW DID YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TONICS START, AND WHAT WAS THE FIRST TONICS/SCULPTED STATIC SONG YOU HEARD?

AL: It was some years ago, I only vaguely remember...but it must have been Mad Men, which I enjoyed very much. But the ones that leapt out at me at the time were Marbles and, most especially, Star Ferry. I must have listened to Star Ferry a hundred times a day back then, everywhere I drove. It was the combination of the wacky, lovelorn lyrics and the effervescent melody, it made the song feel as if it were coming from high in the air, and never exactly alighting on the ground.

NP. WHAT'S THE MOST INTERESTING THING THAT HAPPENED DURING A VIDEO SHOOT WITH THE TONICS?

AL: I think the most interesting moment came from the Distance music video, when I sent the Tonics (then Sculpted Static) running out on a bluff with the vague instructions to just "goof around." We chased after them with the camera, and quite alarmingly each band member in turn made for the cliff-edge of the bluff and leapt straight off. They were like lemmings, running on some kind of non-verbal communication or instinctual programming, except they were all very into it. I was terrified. Luckily, it wasn't that far down to the next cliff, and they all survived.

Also, I would say that the filming of the Apart video was altogether one of my most enjoyable filming experiences. The band members were so spontaneous that everything we filmed just worked. There's a real spontaneous inspiration to that video, and it's thanks to the rapport we all had that day. You can watch that one again and again, and it doesn't really get old.

NP: WHAT ARE YOUR CURRENT PROJECTS AND HOW ARE THE TONICS' MUSIC GOING TO BE USED?

AL: Current projects include a feature-length experimental narrative film called Graceful Accident. It's a fractured piece of manipulated, semi-archival film about the fractured, semi-archival nature of romantic relationships in a contemporary city. It's due to be finished in August, with a premiere in September, most likely. The Tonics/Sculpted Static will have a number of songs in the movie, and the band will be recording some further music to accompany the various scenes. The feel will be pretty grungy and rebellious, but with a kind of romantic side as well.

Then there is a short film about ghostly love from beyond the grave. Sexy, pastoral, and fun, it'll finally give people what they want: a story to follow. I'm not sure what The Tonics are doing for it right now. Arta and I talked about music for it, but the direction I'm looking for in the music is pretty out-there. I'm sure the Tonics can handle it, I'll just be interested to see what comes up, 'cus at the moment I can't imagine what they'll do. But that's the best kind of collaboration, anyway.

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About Me

I'm a publicist for Pedal Tone Records. Born a lyric in 2001, I now live, breathe and write about the stable of artists on Pedal Tone. I am the sibling of Lothar and Pascal, but I'm not the girl shown in my profile photo. It's only a stock photo.